Let's Begin
by moonandstag126
Summary: SEQUEL TO 'A NEW FEATURE'. After living with her new family for two months, how is Venus handling life with the TMNT, and how are they handling having a fifth member on their team? A short piece delving into Venus' training with both Splinter and the guys, and their getting used to having another turtle live with them. A little violence featured.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N- Okay guys, so this is a sequel to 'A New Feature'. It's a short piece that was fun to write and while it doesn't seem to serve any real purpose, I think it allows insight into how Venus and the guys all interact with each other. The chapters are quite short and there will probably only be about five altogether but please try and give it a read and remember to review. Enjoy xxx :)_**

**Chapter 1**

"Are you sure about this, Leonardo?"

"Yes Sensei. I believe she is ready to train on the surface. She needs to learn to utilize unfamiliar surroundings if she is going to truly become part of this team."

"You are right, my son, and I trust your judgement. But tread carefully. She is now as much of a target as you four. And she is still learning to control her magic thoroughly."

"Don't worry Sensei; we'll keep an eye on her."

Leonardo bowed and took his leave. Master Splinter looked on fondly as his sons grinned at their brother's news. They high-three'd, grabbing a slightly stunned Venus by the arm and dragging her into the elevator. He was thankful that she was smiling.

Venus had been with them for around two months now and had joined in with their training sessions avidly. She was patient when trying to master new skills, not letting frustration get the better of her. Although Master Splinter oversaw the majority of her training, his sons were eager to also try and teach her. She spent a week with Splinter alone, honing her original skills and the ones taught to her by the Shredder into the fluid form of ninjitsu they practiced. He focused on the basics, building her strength and teaching her the differences between offensive and defensive, along with the fundamental practices of Bushido. Then she began to join in with the boy's training sessions, each of them giving her a crash course in their best skill. They were eager for her to learn how to wield their weapons, but she just couldn't work out how to use Michelangelo's nunchucks or Raphael's sais. She explained that the Shredder hadn't been able to teach her to use them either due to her lacking coordination.

"What about the Bo staff?" Master Splinter had asked.

"He wouldn't let me try it. He said it was too lowly a weapon for one of _his_ ninjas to use."

"Well you aren't one of his ninjas now," Donatello had suddenly stated, his pride obviously a little hurt. As he gave Venus his staff, she avoided correcting him: she had _never_ been one of his ninjas.

She took to the staff well, using both hands to wield a lot of power in her strikes while controlling it in a lucid manner. Donatello showed her some 'moves' and how to be aware of _not_ hitting people, enjoying the teaching experience. He was happy that she was good with his chosen weapon, giving him one up on his brothers; Raph didn't seemed too fazed about the whole thing, but Mikey seemed a little hurt and jealous that he couldn't teach Venus. Splinter took him aside.

"Each of us are born with different natural skills. You have mastered the nunchuks both because you have been training with them since you were an infant, but also because you have a natural aptitude for their flare. Know this my son: Venus us unable to use your weapon _not_ because you are an inadequate teacher, but because she doesn't hold the particular required for wielding them, unlike you. And as we get older, it gets harder for is to learn new things. Do you understand?"

Mikey nodded, returning to the dojo to witness more of Venus' training. Leonardo was next; he knew she was perfectly competent with one sword, but he wanted her to be good with two. It was soon plain, however, that she just didn't have the strength to wield the pair. Her left hand was considerably weaker than her right, her training with a single weapon stopping her from developing the balance Leo relied on. He kept trying to push her but Master Splinter stepped in before his determination became bullying.

"My son, would it not be better that Venus learn to master one blade that to be merely competent with two? I am sure you can develop her skills even more so."

Leonardo had relented, jumping at the chance to be Venus' sword-trainer. Venus agreed to the guys also training her, and Master Splinter was impressed with her demeanour and patience with his over-eager sons. He knew why they were acting this way, and he suspected that Venus did too: They were trying to show off:

Two weeks after her arrival, Venus had fallen ill with a nasty cold. Although she assured them it was due to the sudden increase of pollution in her breathing system, Donatello had insisted on taking a blood sample to check for any viruses. The tests had come back all clear thankfully but did hold an interesting piece of information.

"Venus isn't our sister." Donatello had announced one breakfast.

"What?" Raphael replied.

"She's not related to us. Her genetics aren't the same."

"They aren't?" Venus had asked, frowning slightly.

"Nope."

"Then why were we all in the same jar together?" Michelangelo questioned. Master Splinter had seen his genius son blush a little before responding.

"I don't know. Maybe there were only five left and the shop owner wanted to get rid of us ?"

"What, like a 'buy four get one free' kinda thing?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Raphael snorted while Michelangelo shrugged the news off. It didn't seem to particularly bother any of them, actually, which Master Splinter was quite glad about. He imagined the situation could have been made a little awkward for Venus, but apart from the little showing off from his sons (which he suspected was due to her being a new team member rather than her gender), nothing had really come up.

The group were getting on well, and their newest member was settling in surprisingly well considering she had been raised in rural China, isolated from the rest of the world by tall mountains. New York City was completely different, although Master Splinter hadn't let Venus topside much; only when they went to visit April much to the boys' complaints. But their sensei was acutely aware that Venus didn't have complete control over her powers, still being young and only just mastering fire. If she flared up, she would be as much of a danger to herself as to his sons. She had trained magically in the lair, but when she was overtaken by her own strength, only Master Splinter was able to reach her, although the guys tried.

He couldn't fault her dedication though; she used every training session to improve herself, pushing herself to her limits. But her new sensei couldn't help notice the angered frown that pinched her face when struggling with a task, or the tension and frustration that occurred during her strengthening exercises. Venus was hurting badly, and used her training as a distraction against the pain of losing her father. Another reason why Splinter had refrained from letting her go up to the surface. She needed to come to terms with her loss and accept it with compassion, letting fond memories flood her thoughts, not vicious retribution. Only Leonardo's insistence that she was ready had let him relent, and the knowledge that his son knew the danger she was in. And now that the Shredder knew of her abilities, she would continue to be targeted.

Splinter feared for his new student's safety, but knew he had to trust his sons to assist her.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's chapter 2! Hope you enjoy xxx**_

**Chapter 2**

The cold December night air stung at the turtle's lungs as they leapt across the roof tops. Well, _four_ of them leapt. Venus was still sending a gush of air towards the ground and behind her to push her across the gaps.

"Don't worry Venus, you'll pick it up," Mikey commented, hanging back with her. "You'll get faster too."

"But how? These are skills I cannot learn in the lair."

"Hence why we are training topside," Leo answered. He led them towards the docks. "We can use the ship containers to practice jumps and leaps; whether it's across buildings or going into an attack against our enemy. Here, we can learn the importance of height and how to use it to our benefit."

"Alright , how about you give us an example then?" Raph asked, doubting his brother's plan as usual.

"Fine. Raphael, if you could just stand at the base of this container." He sighed but did as he was told. Leo climbed up on top of the container.

"Now, I'm going to tackle you from up here, but without any warning of when."

"Ok Leo, whatever you say- AHHHH!"

Leo took his chance to leap down, wrapping his arm around Raphael's neck as he did so. The pair crashed to the floor, Raph yelling in surprise.

"Jeesh Leo, you've made your point," he spluttered in between breaths. He turned to see his brothers and Venus laughing. The latter stepped forward.

"As fun as that looks, I would really like to master leaping across buildings. Not having to blast air towards the ground would definitely be a relief."

The guys nodded in agreement, and climbed on top of the container.

"We can start with some laps on the edge of the boxes, moving in a square" Leo suggested, and the group moved off. The first few jumps were easy, but Venus noticed that the gaps between the containers got wider and wider. She extended her legs with each leap, crouching when landing to save shattering her bones. She was thankful for the new strength that had definitely developed during her training. As she flew through the air without having to control it she began to enjoy herself.

"That's it Venus! Just focus on where you want to land and you'll be fine!" Leo yelled, pleased at her progress. Raphael scoffed at his brother's applause; he loved having a new 'student'.

"What next 'Splinter junior'? These laps are making me dizzy" he moaned, sitting on the edge of a container. His brothers and Venus stopped around him, their breath steaming in the frosty air.

"What about a race?" Mikey asked eagerly. He was the quickest of his brothers and revelled in the chance of showing them up. Donny cocked his brow before smiling.

"It couldn't hurt, and it'll build Venus' speed and stamina." He commented, looking at Leo. Their leader frowned a little before sighing in agreement.

"Okay, we start from here, head northwards to the old docks, loop round and finish in the 'horseshoe'."

"'Horseshoe'?" Venus asked, not knowing what he meant.

"It's a formation of derelict containers on the eastside. It's the only patch of concrete in that sector and one of the boxes is bright red. You can't miss it."

Venus nodded as the guys prepared themselves, Mikey stretching dramatically. They stood at the opposite end of the box they were on, giving them a run up before the first leap.

"Okay, ready?" Everyone nodded at Leo. He counted. "Three, two, one. GO!"

They ran, flying over the first gap in a matter of seconds. They were all pretty even for the first hundred yards, but as the gaps lessened to create a continuous metal track, Michelangelo soon took the lead, sprinting ahead of his brothers with glee. Raphael growled, trying to catch up, but Donatello overtook him, his slightly longer legs helping. He remained even with Leo and smiled; their leader, surprisingly, was the slowest of them all when it came to running. He could sprint like heck, but long-distance running wasn't exactly his forte. It was his weakness, and had been exploited by their enemy a couple of times. He lacked stamina, relying on his skill and accuracy to end his fights quickly, although he could land a strike with deadly speed. Raph knew it annoyed his brother but it didn't exactly hold him back. He was still the most skilled of them, although Raph would never admit it, and the concentration on his face from trying to breath just proved his determination. Leo never admitted his jealousy either; Mikey had all his speed not just because running took a lot less concentration than combat, but also due to his constant high energy levels, mainly from all the sugar he ate, and none of them could beat him. Donny had long legs and Raph had a high stamina level, despite being the stockiest of his brothers. However, right now he was secretly glad he would beat Leo. As he gradually gained ground in front, he made his feet work faster to put some distance between them. What he didn't bank on was another blue-masked turtle keeping up to speed with him; Venus stayed with Raph, not relenting. She matched his footsteps and kept her breathing controlled until she managed to over step him slightly. He watched in shock as she gradually got further and further away before sprinting off ahead. He cursed, hearing Leo chuckle behind him. He earned a growl and saw his brother push his legs to go faster. Leo simply kept his pace, trying to conserve his energy for the leaps that they were fast approaching. He hoped Venus would be able to manage them, maybe beating Raphael in the process.

Raphael could see Venus sprinting and suddenly leap. She cleared the first few gaps with ease but the seventh one was suddenly a lot bigger. She lost ground a little on the landing, allowing Raph to get closer. The gaps got bigger and bigger whilst the gap between the turtles got smaller and smaller. They eventually levelled up on the 13th jump and Raph just managed to overtake Venus while she rose up from her crouch. He laughed as he ran on and jumped again, bracing himself for the landing. However, as he leapt he realised he hadn't pushed off hard enough. He tried not to yell as he flung his arms out, catching the edge of the container before his body smashed into the side. He gritted his teeth as he heard another crash next to him; Venus had faulted too.

Venus clung to the box, her legs burning with exertion. Her heart pumped violently in her chest whilst her breathing turned into panting. A shadow suddenly leapt over the pair.

"Come on guys, we're over halfway!" Leo yelled, clearing the gap and landing gracefully on the other side. Raphael growled, hauling himself up and sprinting after his brother. Venus took a deep breath and pushed her legs off the side of the box, saving her arm muscles a little. She knelt on top of the container for a moment, catching her breath, before running off again.

She tried to build up speed to get herself across the gaps but they proved to be too big for her. Three more times she fell short, just managing to catch the side to avoid crashing to the floor. Although Leo had over taken Raphael, his brother soon caught up, getting ahead when running. Leo sighed, trying not to let it bother him and looked behind to check on Venus' progress. But she wasn't there. He frowned, turning around to go and find her, when suddenly her head appeared, her face flushed and contorting slightly as she tried to pull herself up. Guilt spiked through Leo: she wasn't ready for these size jumps. He ran over to help her.

"I'll be fine. You need to get moving if you want to win this race." She insisted, panting while kneeling on the floor. Leo smiled.

"I never had a chance of winning. My brothers can outrun me in a heartbeat." Venus looked up, surprised. "Come on, we'll work through these jumps together. Mikey's probably been at the finishing line for 10 minutes anyway."

Venus smiled and accepted Leo's hand as he pulled her up. They began running again and Leo let Venus use her power over air to push herself across the first few gaps. He was amazed at her ability, not realising that Venus saw him gawping.

"Take my hand."She suddenly said, and Leo took it warily. They sped up into a run again and Venus used her right hand to send a jet of air towards the ground. Leo gasped, feeling as if he were flying. She let his hand go when they landed, and she crouched down as gracefully as he before shooting up and continuing to sprint on. Leo caught up and the pair continued leaping, Venus refraining from using her magic. With Leo grabbing her hand most of the time, Venus was able to make the jumps, his weight pulling her across a little.

"Now this time, just do what I do." Leo told her, and they leapt together, Venus streamlining her body as it sliced through the air. The wind tickled her face and for a moment she felt free as a bird. When the next container began to approach her feet, instead of setting her feet directly beneath her she stretched them forward a little. This way, when she landed there was more space between her and the edge of the container; if she lost her balance she wouldn't fall straight off but land on the box. She felt happiness bloom within her when she executed the landing correctly and managed to continue running with ease this time. Leo saw her smile.

"When you clear your head and focus on your target you can achieve higher accuracy." He informed her, although Venus wasn't really listening; she was too busy planning her next landing.

It wasn't long until the pair came across the bright red container. Leo jumped down onto the concrete below with lithe elegance, Venus trying to mimic his actions. She landed awkwardly on the ground though and fell back onto her shell, earning laughs from Mikey.

"Nice landing Venus!"

"Thank you Michelangelo," she growled, accepting Donatello's helping hand. "Maybe we could try again tomorrow?"

Leo nodded, trying to catch his breath while his muscles burned.

"What took you two so long?" Raph asked, jumping up from the oil drum he'd been sitting on.

"After Venus fell the first time it took her a while to get back into the rhythm of jumping again. I helped her with the first few bigger jumps and then she managed to do it on her own again." Leo explained in between gasps of air, turning to see Venus trying to recover in the same way. She twisted her head and saw the water behind him.

"Is that the river?" She asked, walking towards the water's edge. It was the only side of the 'horseshoe' not walled by metal boxes.

"Yeah," Donny began. "You haven't seen it before?"

"The Shredder didn't exactly make time for sight-seeing." she replied, a bitter quality edging into a voice. An awkward silence fell on the group; Venus never spoke about her time in the Foot Clan. She realised what she had said and instantly regretted her harsh tone, focusing on the rippling water beneath her rather than push the subject further. They way the river reflected the sparkling lights of the city was truly beautiful, the stars above in the clear sky also appearing in the glassy mirror below. As her heart slowed a little to its normal pace and her muscles stopped burning she also realised how cold the winter night was.

"We should probably be heading back. The temperature must be in the minus-something and our cold blood wont like us just standing around like this," Donatello pointed out, trying to diffuse the tension in the air. Leo nodded in agreement, thankful to see Venus turning to join them. The group went to climb the containers when Venus suddenly froze, sensing someone close by, a presence she vaguely recognised. She snapped her head up to see a group of Foot Ninjas lining the tops of the containers. They were surrounded.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Okay, so here's chapter 3! Enjoy :)**_

**Chapter 3**

Venus jumped down from the side of the red box, the others following suit. She went to go into the defensive when Raph stood in front of her.

"Not you, Shinobi. You ain't ready."

"And what am I supposed to do? Just sit and watch?"

"Keep yourself out of trouble until we finish this."

"I can fight-"

"With what? I don't see a sword strapped to your back and we don't want you cooking these guys like you tried their whack-bag leader." Raph growled, scowling before biting his tongue; he had been too harsh on her. She glared at him before taking a deep breath.

"Raphael, just because I am not carrying a sword does not mean I don't have one."

"Come again?" Raphael asked, confused. Suddenly a soldier lunged at him with a katana, which he caught with his Sais. The group attacked, the turtles defending viciously in return. They tried to keep a circle around Venus but they were separated when Mikey was knocked into a container. He rubbed his head painfully, springing back up again. Venus made her way to the edge of the 'horseshoe', leaning against a container. She kept out of the way, although it wasn't long until she was spotted. A ninja moved towards her wielding a vicious looking spear. She knew she could use her power over water to wipe him out but she had promised herself that she would rely on her physical training as much as she could. Plus, her powers had been a little unpredictable as of late, worrying Master Splinter.

The spear was getting closer as Venus willed herself to focus; she ducked as he stabbed it into the container, sweeping her legs under his feet before kicking him back into the fray. He hit another soldier who immediately ran at Venus, carrying a katana. She made ready to jump when she heard her name.

"Venus! Catch!" Leo drew a third katana from behind his shell and threw it towards Venus. Master Splinter was yet to finish her own casing for her sword and so Leo had had to carry her katana with his own. She caught it and brought it in front of her just as the Foot swung down. The metal clanged loudly but Venus twisted her wrist upwards, making her foe drop his blade. She then kicked him in the stomach before joining the fray.

She fought well thanks to her training. The only problem was that she would knock into ninjas or they would fly into her from being hit by one of the guys. They weren't used to having an extra team member, who herself wasn't used to fighting a mass force. When in the Foot, she only had to fight a few 'enemies', not a whole squadron. Teamwork was another lacking feature too, the guys having mastered it a long time ago and using it to their full advantage. Raphael leapt onto Donny's shell, using the boost to grab three Foot ninja from the top of the container and throw them to floor. But he didn't see Venus fighting below him and in turn Venus didn't see Raph above her. She was knocked to the ground along with the Foot ninja she'd been fighting.

"Venus!" Leo suddenly cried, trying to hold off four ninjas at once. Raph turned to see where his brother was shouting and saw the pile of Foots moving. He went over and grabbed the only green hand he could see, pulling Venus up.

"I told ya you weren't ready!" He yelled, earning another glare.

"I would have been fine if _you_ hadn't thrown them on me!"

"You should've seen me!"

"You should've seen _me_!"

"GUYS! You aren't helping!" Leo shouted, knocking his assailants out with a pair of split kicks.

They continued fighting although they were tiring from their earlier race. Even Mikey slowed a little, becoming sluggish with his strikes. One ninja ran at him at full speed and the turtle kicked him in the chest, sending the ninja flying in the direction he had just come. What Mikey didn't see was Venus fighting on the water's edge. She turned just to see a lump of black soaring towards her before it crashed into her side. She dropped her sword as she fell into the water, the freezing temperature making her seize up instantly. Out of shock, she let a blast of air out of her mouth, inhaling a glug of water in turn. Her lungs burned as she tried to kick up towards the surface. But her limbs refused to respond, the darkness of the water growing ever thicker as she sank lower and lower…

"Oops," Mikey muttered, realisation hitting him.

"MIKEY!" Donny roared, smacking his brother over the head. "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't see her fighting there and she didn't move so-"

"We need to get her out! The water temperature could kill a _human_ let alone a cold-blooded _turtle_!" Donny yelled, panicking a little as a speed boat full of Foot ninja suddenly appeared.

Venus could hear the humming of a boat and knew she was in trouble. Closing her eyes, she focused deep within, centring herself while not letting her lack of air make her dizzy. She felt warmth flood her veins as she tapped into her power over fire and kicked her legs violently towards the surface, the heat allowing them to move again. She broke through the water, the splashing letting the guys know she was alive. She took in a gulp of air before she heard Leo yell at her:

"Venus! Behind you!"

She turned to see a boat full of harpoon wielding Foot ninjas. She took a deep breath before diving back into the water. She heard faint pops as the harpoons were fired above her. She swerved and span in an attempt to dodge the sharp metal points, but seethed when one streamed past her left forearm, slicing it open. Blood mingled with the ice-cold water and Venus desperately swam towards the edge of the docks.

The Foot ninjas were yelling in confusion; Venus hadn't resurfaced yet none of their harpoons had caught her. Leo sliced the line of ninjas blocking the turtles from getting to the water before running to the edge of the dock.

"Donny, how do I find her?"

"Leo, you aren't thinking of going in there are you? You'll freeze to death!"

"I have to get her out Donny! Do you have a torch or something I can use?"

There was a sudden splashing directly behind Leo and he quickly span to find a shivering Venus gasping for air, grasping the dock's edge. Leo offered his arm and Venus took it, grabbing on tightly while he pulled her out of the water. He guided her to kneel on the ground, joining her while she caught her breath. She was deathly pale.

"We need to get her back to the lair before she catches hypothermia." Donny stated. Leo nodded, helping her up and letting her lean on him. Mikey picked up her sword and sheathed it on Leo's back. Raph frowned at the blood on Leo's arm.

"Leo, you get injured or something?"

"What? Me? No, I don't think so-" he gasped as he moved his arm, revealing the wound on Venus' forearm. "Venus, what-?"

"I wasn't quick enough in the water." She explained, smiling slightly but surprised at how raspy her voice was.

"We need to get you home, now."

Leo ran towards the container while Raph climbed up the side. He helped Venus up, Leo pushing her feet while Mikey and Donny defended against the remaining ninjas. They then leapt up onto the container while Donatello took Venus's weight, almost dragging her across the boxes. He knew a route with fewer gaps while his brothers defended the pair, giving them a head start so that they could lose the Foot. Mikey then joined Donny, sharing Venus' weight as Leo and Raph created a wall, stopping any of the Foot from following them. The former two reached the edge of the containers, Donny jumping down while Mikey helped lower Venus to the ground into Donny's arms. The pair then jumped down the first manhole cover they could find, sharing Venus' weight between them as she shivered violently. The sewers were a little warmer but they also meant that Venus didn't have to move so quickly now that they weren't being chased. The lair took about ten minutes to reach, all three turtles having wrapped their masks around Venus' arm to stay the bleeding.

The warmth of the lair made Venus' skin prickle, her shivering abating a little. She felt Mikey leave to go find Master Splinter while Donatello lead Venus to his lab. He sat her on a metal table, grabbing various pieces of equipment and cloths. He began to untie the masks on Venus' arm, causing blood to pour out again. She winced a little, prompting Donatello to fasten a leather belt tightly around her arm just below her shoulder.

"This should reduce the blood flow," he assured, not directly to her. She nodded anyway, knowing that Donny was clever, but not a medical genius. The sound of a walking stick announced Master Splinter's arrival.

"Venus? What happened here, my sons?"

Michelangelo began to explain the events of the evening while Donny waited for the bleeding to abate, soaking many towels in the process. The wound wasn't particularly deep but it had sliced through muscle. He then grabbed some antiseptic and began cleaning the wound. Venus seethed in pain, not expecting the sudden sting. She was reminded all too clearly of her first time in the lair when Donny had treated her wounds then. Master Splinter frowned in concern but trusting his son to be able to deal with the injury. Satisfied that the wound was sterilized, Don turned to the equipment on the table.

"Is the wound serious, my son?"

"Not really Sensei, just long and awkward. Venus is lucky that she wasn't impaled," he smiled nervously, earning a tiny chuckle form his patient. He then straightened his face. "She does need stitches though."

"Are you able to do this?"

"Yes. It's simple really. April taught us, although I don't know if Mikey still remembers how to do it."

"Moi? Of course I do." Mikey answered, putting his hand to his chest dramatically. "But the real question is would you trust me to do it?"

Master Splinter and Donatello looked at each other before shaking their heads. Donatello turned back to Venus, Mikey's mutterings of "that's what I thought" making him sigh. He selected a needle and the special thread April had managed to get them for these kinds of situations. He threaded it through before noticing Venus was shaking again.

"Venus, are you cold?" He asked, worried that she had caught hypothermia after all. But she shook head, and he noticed that she was paler than she was before; not from loss of blood, however. Her wide eyes were focused on the needle Donny was wielding. Master Splinter placed a hand on her right arm.

"What is the matter, Venus?"

"I've never seen a...never had to..." her voice was barely above a whisper, her throat thick and constricted.

"It is just a needle, my child. Donatello needs to seal your wound to avoid infection."

"I know, it's just that..."

"You are scared?"

She nodded, shame flushing her cheeks. Mikey turned in surprise; he'd not seen Venus like this before. He stepped forward.

"Hey, me too!" he stated cheerfully. Venus frowned.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I hate needles! Once, April had to give me a shot of painkiller when I sliced my leg open during a battle and I nearly passed out. The guys had to hold me down so that she could help me, I was struggling so much."

Venus nodded, appreciating Mikey's attempt to comfort her but knowing that she needed the stitches. She just hated the idea of a needle... she couldn't even finish her thought. She took a breath, bracing herself. She held out her arm, signalling Donny to begin. He inserted the needle as gently as he could into her skin, feeling awful; he didn't have anything to numb the skin, which was naturally thicker than a human's, and therefore required more force. She didn't wince, however, for fear of worrying Donny, but instead inadvertently grabbed Mikey's hand. He didn't protest against the vice-like grip, knowing what she was going through.

Master Splinter watched in admiration at the control Venus was exerting. She had released Mikey's hand after three stitches, allowing him to clutch it in relief. She instead closed her eyes, focusing on the environment around her rather than the pain. Seven stitches later and Donny was done. Venus jumped off the examination table, following Master Splinter's advice to sit on the sofa with a blanket whilst Mikey made them all some hot cocoa and Donatello cleaned up the mess that had been left behind.

"Well done my son. You overcame your self-doubt to help your friend and in doing so save her."

"Thank you Master Splinter," Donny replied, not bothering to ask how his Sensei knew he was scared about stitching up Venus' wound. No matter how many times he told his brothers that he was an _engineer_, not a _doctor_, they still believed him to be a genius in every scientific department. He sighed, washing the blood off his hands before joining Venus in front of the T.V.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Leonardo and Raphael returned home not long after, grabbing a mug of hot cocoa each.

"What took you so long?" Donny asked, shuffling up to make room on the couch for his brothers.

"There were more of them than we thought." Leo explained, sipping his chocolate as he sat down. He was wedged between Venus and the arm of the couch, getting practically crushed when Raph joined them next to Mikey. The very worn piece of furniture wasn't really big enough for four giant turtles, let alone five.

"Yeah, me and Leo had to run five blocks over to finally lose those Foot creeps." Raph added, taking a large gulp and burning his tongue in the process.

"My sons, we must discuss the events of this evening." Master Splinter suddenly announced, the seriousness in his voice making the turtles freeze. Venus could feel the tension in the air, mainly coming from Leonardo next to her, who tried to stand but found himself too wedged.

"Sensei, we were ambushed by Foot Ninjas after a successful training session-"

"Yes, I know what happened Leonardo. But I want to know _how_ it happened." Splinter looked over his sons, the guilt plain in their leader's face, the worry of a telling-off in the others. Venus' expression was also guilty, although embroidered with pain. He sighed.

"Why was Venus knocked into the water in the first place?"

"Because I kicked a Foot Ninja at her." Mikey mumbled.

"And why did you do this?"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't see her there and she didn't move so-"

"You can't blame Venus Mikey! It's not her fault!" Donatello started, outraged.

"That is not completely true, Donatello. If Venus had seen Michelangelo strike the ninja may be she would have moved."

"What about when Raph threw a bunch of ninjas on top of her from the container?" Mikey asked, earning a glare from his brothers while Venus slapped her forehead at his lack of subtlety. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Again, you both should have been aware of each other's actions. Awareness is key and a basic trait of the ninja. You cannot possibly fight if you do not know what others are doing around you. You must learn to work as a team of _five_ now, and you Venus must learn how to utilize the power of fighting as a team, not an individual."

"Yes Sensei. But I fear that can only come with experience." Venus stated, earning a considering gaze from Splinter. Although he was impatient for his students to work as a solid unit, she was right; teamwork was something you adapted to over time. And she hadn't exactly been taught the advantages of working as one by the Shredder. He sighed.

"Very well, it shall be incorporated into your training sessions."

"But what about 'awareness' sensei? How can we improve on that?" Leonardo asked, very much aware of the stony glare he was receiving from his brothers and as usual he ignored it. He could almost hear the phrase 'teacher's pet' playing on their minds.

"I believe that your qigong training is long overdue. And now that we have a near master in our presence you may actually be able to achieve a decent level. Venus, would you mind teaching my sons how to strengthen their minds? It should help you develop your own sense of awareness too."

"Of course I wouldn't, Master Splinter. It would be the least I could do after all you have done for me."

"Good. We begin in the morning." The turtles bowed their heads towards their sensei as he made his way to bed.

"You had to ask!" Raph yelled at Leo as soon as his father was out of ear shot. Mikey immediately jumped up and fled to the kitchen, sensing an argument brewing and allowing his brothers to breathe again. "We tried before. We can't grasp this chi-gungy thing!"

"That's qigong and it's for our own sake. We don't want a repeat of tonight on our hands."

Donny shook his head and joined Mikey, not wanting to witness the squabble. Raph stared at the ground before rubbing the back of his skull.

"No offense shinobi but we're normally fine. Having you there was just an extra pressure."

Venus cocked a brow. "I know Raphael, which is why I will keep training until I can keep up with you four. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon so you'll just have to get used to me being on the team." She replied, a little indignant at his blame.

"Besides, think of all the other scraps we could have avoided if we had been a little more aware. Learning qigong can only be a benefit to us," Leo added, glad that Venus hadn't been battered by Raph's harshness.

"Yeah, and look on the bright side," Mikey began, grabbing a tub of ice cream from the freezer. "Venus is gonna be teaching us, not Master Splinter."

"That doesn't mean you can just goof around Mikey." Don chided, grabbing a spoon. Venus looked at the group in front of her and sighed: tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Mikey, if you keep getting distracted by that fly buzzing around your head you're never going to be able to focus," Venus stated, earning a guilty nod from Michelangelo. A couple of weeks after the incident at the docks, the group were working through their 5th qigong session and they had all improved, albeit slowly.

"Sorry Venus." Mikey apologised.

"It's alright. Now close your eyes again. Try and sense Donny's movements in the room."

The turtle obliged while his brother moved around the room as silently as he could. Mikey concentrated hard, clearing his mind and listening for any tell-tale sounds. He hated the fact that he'd fallen behind his brothers again, although Venus was very patient with him. He suddenly heard a light footstep and lunged with his nunchaku.

"Ow!"

Mikey opened his eyes. "Did I get him?"

"Yes Mikey, you got me, right on the skull!" Donny answered, rubbing his head.

"Well done Mikey. Now you just need to watch where you hit your assailant."

Mikey nodded, a grin spreading across his face, making Venus smile.

"Now we're going to try and decipher _who_ is moving around."

"How we gonna do that, Shinobi?" Raph asked, sarcasm tinting his voice. He hated this whole qigong thing, preferring to just lash out at an attack rather than guess who they are.

"Nicely volunteered Raphael. Please sit in the centre of the room."

Raph growled before staggering to the middle of the dojo and kneeling down.

"Raphael, I know for a fact that Master Splinter has told you that anger is self-destructive," Venus lectured the red-masked turtle. "It can only hold you back, not allowing you to progress."

"Who says I'm angry?"

"Raph, a part of a Shinobi's training is learning to read people's emotions. We must able to glance into your central chi and see how you feel."

"So you can read minds?" Mikey asked, both out of fear and awe. Venus chuckled.

"Only emotions, Mikey. Like now, I can see that you think the idea of me being able to peer into your mind is both amazing and terrifying." She twisted her face to Raph slightly. "And your brother here thinks I'm annoying and showing off at this current moment."

Raph looked up in surprise before growling slightly again.

"Now, Leo, Don and Mikey, I want you all to go to specific parts of the room and move when I tell you. Raphael, all you have to do is guess _who_ I have asked to move. Okay?"

"Yes Miss Venus." Raph replied, mimicking a child speaking to their teacher. Venus rolled her eyes and directed the others to stand in different corners of the room once Raph had shut his eyes. She signalled Donny to move as quietly as he could, but when Raph made no comment, she signalled Mikey and then Leo.

"Raphael? Did you not sense them?" Venus asked, confused at Raph's lack of response.

"Oh sorry, did they move?" Raph replied. Venus frowned.

"Look Raph, I'm not going to waste my time training you if you're not even going to try."

"Well look who's getting all defensive. I didn't hear them move, alright?"

Venus sighed. She was still getting to grips with this teaching malarkey. "Fine. Let's try again. Donny, can you try please?"

Venus made all four turtles try the exercise, but only Leo was able to deduce when Donny and Raph moved. Mikey, however, remained elusive.

"I'm just too quick for you!" He grinned, earning a slap from Raph.

"Yeah, whatever. Can we do some _real _training now?"

"What do you call this Raphael?" Venus asked, not liking the turtle's tone.

"Oh come on, Venus. Do you seriously think is gonna help us fight?"

"Maybe if you actually gave it a chance it might!" Venus replied, getting defensive. She was sick of Raph's constant critique and moaning.

"Well may be it weren't so boring then I might!"

"Do you mean 'boring' or 'hard'?"

That did it. Raphael had had enough. He drew his sais and moved into the defensive.

"Alright, Shinobi, why don't we put _your _training to the test?"

A small gasp went through the dojo, but Venus picked up her sword nonetheless.

"Guys, be reasonable. This isn't going to solve anything!" Leo pleaded, standing between the two.

"Don't act like you aint bored of this Shinobi muck, Leo."

" 'Shinobi muck'?!" Venus seethed, pointing her blade.

"Venus, please. Think about this." Leo tried to reason with her but he just earned a scowl.

"What is it, Leonardo? Do you think I will not beat him? Am I not skilled enough to take down the 'mighty Raphael'?"

"What? No, of course not, I just-"

"Damn right you aint," Raphael sneered, causing anger to rise in Venus' chest. She planned to tire the opposing turtle with quick dodges and reflexes, as she knew he dominated her in strength. The pair raised their weapons while Donatello and Michelangelo watched in slight amusement. Venus growled as the pair made ready to strike.

"What is going on in here?" Splinter's voice made all five turtles jump. "Why are your weapons raised?"

"Venus needs to be taught a little lesson." Raphael growled. His father frowned, and in a flash disarmed his son before knocking him to the ground. He pointed his staff at Raphael's throat.

"You would threaten and challenge a fellow warrior that is _weaker_ and _less experienced than you_? Have you no honour, Raphael?"

"Sensei, I doubt-" Venus began, but Splinter spun round and cut her off.

"And you! Rising to his bait. You know better than that, Venus de Milo. You must control your temper or risk burning the whole lair down!"

Venus bowed her head in shame while Raph slowly stood up. Don and Mikey smiled again before Leo flashed his eyes in warning. Suddenly their father turned to them.

"You three know to not let Raphael's anger consume him; know the consequences when he does. And you would stand by and allow him to challenge another who has _not_ witnessed his fury to its full extent? Someone who you have seen engulf our enemy in flames in rage? Things you may find entertaining can quickly become disastrous.

"Now, I was _going_ to begin your team-work exercises but now, we shall _all_ learn how to exercise control... After 50 laps of the dojo!"

The rat clapped his hands and his sons and Venus immediately began running round the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N-Okay guys, so this is actually the last chapter of 'Let's Begin' (I said it would be short x). Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 5**

The training session had involved the group aiming shuriken at targets dotted around the room. Leonardo, of course hit every one, Don and even Mikey almost got them all, but Venus and Raph were struggling. Venus was trying to quell the anger she felt inside and wasn't really focusing on her targets, while Raphael just threw them anywhere in his rage.

"I hope you both now understand," Splinter rebuked the pair. "That anger leads to lack of control. The two of you must learn to get along, otherwise the team will suffer. That is all."

The rat returned to his meditation room while the others apart from Venus went into the living room.

"Venus?" Mikey asked when he noticed her hanging back. "You coming?"

"In a little while, Mikey," Venus replied. "I'm going to train some more."

"Okay. Listen Venus, Raph didn't mean what he said. He just gets a little...tetchy sometimes."

Venus smiled. "I understand Mikey."

Mikey smiled in reply before following his brothers. Venus raised her arms in front of her in a kata, before sweeping her right leg, leading into a kick from her left. Her movements were fluid and she repeated them a few times over. Then she tried a few others, each one quicker than the last, each one more complex; Leonardo had been giving her extra lessons during their sword-work sessions, so that she didn't get left too far behind. Afterwards she moved to the punch bag and began hitting it, getting faster and harder each time; she could feel her muscles rippling slightly with every hit, knowing they would ache in the morning, but she kept going before moving over to the weights.

Her sudden determination to train had been born out of Master Splinter's comments about her being weaker than the others. Well, Venus was going to earn her place on this team and not be a burden. If Raphael challenged her teachings again, she wanted to have a chance at beating him, and so pushed herself. After each of the group's training sessions, Venus would then spend some time working on her own basics and strength, lifting weights, running laps and performing katas, split kicks, leg sweeps, all manner of moves she had learnt and was still learning. A few days into her new regime she noticed her arms had become more toned and took a moment to think about how she was affecting her body; besides the fact it was aching constantly, having little time to recover at night as she seemed to spend every waking moment in the dojo, she thought about her physical appearance: She naturally had more muscle than most female humans, but this was balanced out by her strong physique due to her training as a child. Besides, she didn't want to look 'hench' like the guys.

Perhaps she had been overdoing it slightly. Venus knew her training had been fuelled by her determination to beat Raphael, and so spent her next fitness session meditating. She allowed her mind to clear and felt a sense of clarity when she let go of her annoyance for Raphael; she realised he had but hurt her pride, and she decided to let go of her negative feelings towards him, feeling a knot untie in her stomach. A wonderful feeling of lightness came over her; she took a deep breath and prepared herself to awaken when suddenly her father appeared in the darkness of her vision. Chung I was dressed in his classic green robes, his white beard tied with a small ribbon and jade bead. Venus smiled, the sight of her happy father alive and healthy, albeit old, causing a ripple of joy through her.

This changed though, when the form frowned.

"Mei Pieh Chi, what have you done?"

Venus' eyes widened, surprised at how scathing his tone was. "What do you mean father?"

"You are a Shinobi, yet you have forsaken your art to train in ninjitsu; in the ways of deception and disguise."

Venus was horrified, desperate to convince her father otherwise. "No father! Master Splinter teaches us for self-defence."

"But you have forgotten your roots. Forgotten your heritage, and the skills _I _have taught you."

"I would never forget, father." Venus cried, tears stinging her eyes. Her previous happiness had evaporated, swallowed by guilt at her father's disapproval. "My ninjitsu training has simply-"

"Taken over!" The old man yelled, before growing in size, looming menacingly above her. "You have failed! You have forgotten!"

"No father! I haven't, I promise!" Venus shrieked, but Chung I kept yelling, a great hurricane erupting around them as his accusations roared even louder. The whirlwind increased in speed and sped straight towards Venus.

"You have forgotten your heritage! Your blood! Your own father!"

"No I haven't father! Father! NO!" Venus cried, the storm engulfing her.

Venus jolted awake, her suddenly weighted chest heaving in panic, feeling as though all of the air had been sucked straight from her lungs. Eyes wide, she looked around the dojo, frowning slightly as she found it in a state, weapons, scrolls, weights, everything strewn across the floor. A sudden shout made her jump.

"Venus!"

Venus sprang up and bolted into the living room; it too was trashed, the sofa's up-ended, covered with dvd's and comic books. In the centre of the room whirled a mini-tornado, gaining in size and speed. She blinked in disbelief, a voice bringing her back to her senses.

"Venus, do you mind shutting that thing off?!" Donny cried, holding onto a pillar while his legs where hovering in the air. She turned to find his brothers doing the same, not wanting to be sucked into the storm.

Venus, unsure what to do, tried thinking of some sort of counter-charm; however, when she felt herself being pulled forward, she realised she didn't know how she'd conjured the thing in the first place and didn't have enough time to stand and try to remember. Focusing with a deep breath, she instead placed her arms in front of her and tried to link with the wind, something she'd never attempted before, not even with another creature with thoughts and emotions. She felt her mind latch onto something unusually familiar, surprised at how quickly she'd made a connection. However, she soon guessed why it had been so quick; within the storm, she found guilt and shame, panic and fear. What she had felt whilst her father had reprimanded her only moments before. This whirlwind, so similar to the one in her vision, had somehow been born out of her distress. Setting her terrified though slightly amazed curiosity aside, she tried to calm the storm, quelling the tempestuous emotions that fuelled it. Gradually, Venus felt the connection softening as the spiral slowly began to decrease in size as the surrounding wind dropped.

"Desist." Venus commanded, and the whirlwind disappeared, leaving the lair silent for a moment.

"Thanks Venus," Donny gasped, stretching his arms a little. Venus nodded, still slightly stunned before Raph stormed over.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" he roared, making his brothers flinch. But Venus stood strong.

"I apologise. I am not quite sure what happened-"

"NOT QUITE SURE?! You let a frickin' tornado loose throughout the lair, destroying the living room _and_ the dojo!"

"You don't have to be so dramatic, Raphael. They're just a little messy, that's all."

Raph stood in blunt shock before growling and drawing his sais. Master Splinter suddenly stepped into the room.

"Raphael, I suggest you go and start tidying the weights away."

Raphael glared at Venus before sheathing his blades and stalking off into the dojo.

"Now Venus, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter. This is going to sound crazy but I was meditating when I saw a vision of my father. I got upset and...lost control: He started yelling at me, saying I had forgotten my Shinobi roots, forsaking my magic for ninjitsu."

"But this isn't true, Venus."

"Well," Venus looked at the floor. "It has been these past few days." Master Splinter cocked an eyebrow. "I was just so mad at Raphael. He's never liked my qigong training, and every time he insulted it and myself I felt so angry. So I decided to show him that I am _not_ weak and that I was worthy of a place on this team."

"Venus, you have always been worthy," assured the old rat, placing a paw on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to say you are weak, it is just that Raphael is very strong, the strongest out his brothers in fact. And with your lack of experience, it would have been an unfair fight. And now it seems that your extra training has taken a toll on your magical development."

"I know Master Splinter, and I'm sorry."

"Do not worry, Venus. But maybe it is time for you to cease trying to train my sons in qigong?"

Venus nodded sadly, seeing Don and Mikey agree with their father but finding the look of disappointment on Leo's face strangely comforting.

"Don't feel bad, Venus. I mean, we honestly have learnt a lot with you. It's just, we don't have the complexity that you have up here." Mikey comforted, pointing towards his head. Don nudged him before smiling at Venus.

"I suppose your right. I'd better start cleaning up the lair," Venus answered, going over to the upturned sofa. She went to lift it when Donatello joined her.

"Come on, Venus. You didn't think we'd let you clean this place up on your own, did you?"

"We wouldn't?" Mikey asked, earning a slap from Leo before they began sorting the other furniture.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

It took the group just over an hour to restore the lair to its original state. Thankfully, only the living room and the dojo had been affected. Venus, knelt on a meditation mat by the small pool, found herself staring at the dojo's entrance when Leonardo came and sat next to her.

"You know, Raph and I argue all the time."

"I noticed."

Leo raised his brow in surprise at her blunt tone. He only wanted to try and comfort her.

"Well, then you'll realise that we always make peace, simply because our spats never really matter." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "He'll get used to you, don't worry."

"Thanks Leo. But his taunts had an underlying message: I'm a burden to this team."

"That's not true Venus-" He was cut off by her knowing glare. Leo sighed. "Okay, maybe you need a little more training so that we can avoid an event like the other night. But you'll get there. And I promise to help. I will give you all the sword training you want."

"Really?" Venus asked, smiling a little.

"Sure, for a price though." He cocked a brow, preparing himself to ask this favour. "You need to keep teaching me qigong. I really think I can get better, and I do actually enjoy it. You're a great teacher."

Venus smiled. To be fair, Leo did have a flare for the art, as Master Splinter had explained at the start of their sessions. He just needed the proper training, as she did with her sword.

"Deal."

The pair shook hands before Leo nodded his head in the direction of the dojo. Venus instantly understood and moved off where she found Raphael hanging the punch bag back on its hook. He turned his head slightly at her presence.

"Hey Shinobi." he muttered, dusting his hands off. Venus took a deep breath.

"Listen, Raph I just wanted-"

"You don't have to apologise, Venus."

"I don't?" Surprise filled her face, causing Raph to smile a little.

"No, turns out you were right. I _did_ find the qigong thing too hard, I just couldn't admit it. My mind isn't as..."

"Complex?"

"Yeah," Raph admitted, slightly surprised, "that's the word. It's not as complex as yours. I'm sorry I took my own frustrations out on you. It's a habit I don't really want to start getting into."

"That's okay. I'm sorry I didn't see that you were struggling sooner. And that I sent a tornado crashing through the lair."

"Nah, it's alright. Mikey screaming and running away from it certainly provided some entertainment." He smiled, a genuine smile tinged with guilt. Venus couldn't help but grin back.

The pair chuckled before moving back into the living room, where Master Splinter stood and smiled. He was glad that his son and their new comrade had reconciled with each other; it destroyed the tension that had risen within the lair these past few weeks.

All the brothers had to get used to Venus' presence, but for some reason Raphael had taken the longest. Master Splinter wasn't sure why, but he suspected it had something to do with her magical abilities. _It is something he doesn't understand, which frustrates him unlike his brothers. Leonardo is perfectly comfortable with asking questions, Donatello mainly avoids the subject as it defeats all scientific principles, and Michelangelo simply finds it...'awesome' is the word I believed he used. _But seeing the pair laughing together, the old rat had high hopes for the future. He was also pleased that Venus had held her own against Raphael's temper, although he wished she hadn't risen to his bait. It was usually only Leonardo that did that. _She has pride, just like her father._

Master Splinter looked on fondly at his now bigger family. Their new lives had just begun.

_**A/N- That's it my lovely readers but DON'T WORRY: I have started working on the sequel called 'Home Ties' which involves some family bonding and new feelings ;) (plus something quite cool. A clue is in the name). It will hopefully be up so soon and thank you again for reading and reviewing xxx more of the latter is always helpful ;) see you soon xxx :)**_


End file.
